MANNY PASCALI feels his old pals’ pain — especially at this time of year.

Pascali has looked on as Hearts trio Gary Locke, Jamie Hamill and Mehdi Taouil have stumbled from one cash crisis to another at Tynecastle.

The Killie ace knows how it feels, because he once went seven months without wages!

Pascali played with Locke, Hamill and Taouil at Rugby Park and hopes the fortunes of today’s Boxing Day opponents turns — but only after Killie win today.

Pascali, 31, said: “I’ve really felt for guys like Mehdi, Lockey and Jamie because I have been through it myself and I know what they are going through.

“I was in that situation in Italy with Alessandria in Serie C. It was a nightmare because it was my first year as a pro.

“I had to change flat four times in a year because the club were not paying the bills.

“The same year the police had to come to the dressing room because Alessandria’s Ultra fans were going mad with us because we had lost all our players and the team was full of young guys.

“My last salary was in the November and I played until the following June with no wages. When I went on holiday for a week that summer I’d to borrow money from my parents! When I got my first wage the following season I had to sort all my debts out.

“It ended up being like a Gretna situation. At the end of that season Alessandria disappeared.

“It was a difficult time and it will be the same for the Hearts players. They do not deserve this and I wish them all the best because Hearts is a massive club in Scotland.

“No one wants to be in that position and I hope they can sort it out — after Wednesday that is.

“I was even gutted with the Rangers situation because it is always a pleasure to go to places like Ibrox and Tynecastle and play.”

Stopper Pascali insists that the volatile financial climate in Scottish football means players always have concerns.

Pascali, below, added: “I know there are people with families who are going to struggle.

“It is not easy because when you are playing football you don’t think about it, but the other 22 hours of the day you ARE thinking about it.

“Maybe you want to buy something and you have to think about whether you can afford it.

“You have a mortgage and it is a worry, but it is not your fault. It was different for me in Italy because I was young and all I was thinking about was playing football. I did not have a family or people to take care of.”

Pascali insists 2012 will go down in Killie history because of their stunning League Cup triumph, but insists they should be aiming higher this season.

He said: “The highlight was last March when we won the League Cup for the first time in Kilmarnock’s history.

“It was a great year because we beat Celtic twice and Rangers twice as well as winning the Cup.

“It was a positive year but there is still plenty to come. We want to do better in terms of our league position and have a good run in the Scottish Cup.

“The league is very tight — we played Inverness a few games ago and they were level with us and now they are second top.

“It is my fifth year here and I want to push on to do something we have never achieved before in my career. Winning another trophy or qualifying for Europe would be perfect.

“Without Rangers in the league and the other teams being on the same level as each other, if we can have a positive run with four months to go there is a great chance to do well.

“If you look at our squad of 18, even our opponents say we have a great team.

“Challenging for Europe is something no one at Killie thought about a few years ago, but there is a great chance.

“We are capable of every kind of performance — from winning at Celtic Park to losing 6-3 at home to Inverness. We need to be more consistent.”